Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 633,545.A Patented Sept. I9, |899.

H. BRYANT. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application led Sept. 10, 1.898.)

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Patented Sept. I9, |899. H. BRYANT.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Appleation led Sept. 10, 1898.)

3 Sheets Sheet 2.

(NO Model.)

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No. 533,545. Patented Sept. I9, |899.

` H. BRYANT.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATDR.

(Application led Sept. 10, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BRYANT, OF ARANSAS PASS, TEXAS.

ACETYLEN E-GAS G ENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,545, datedSeptember 19, 1899.

Application iiledSeptember 10, 1898. Serial No.690,693. (No modelJ T0all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY BRYANT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aransas Pass, in the county of San Patricio and State ofTenas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Acetylene- GasGenerating Apparatus, which is made and used substantially ashereinafter set forth and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to acetylene-gas generating and storingapparatus; and its object is to provide a simple, compact, andeconomical means for automatically generating said gas.

The invention consists in the combination of a generator of approvedconstruction, a water-supply tank, means connecting said tank andgenerator, a gas-holder, an independent gas-reservoir, and means forautomatically controlling the generation of Vthe gas by the action ofthe holder, all as hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an elevation, partly insection, showing my generating apparatus in its almost normal position.Fig. 2 isa sectional elevation when the gas-holder is'filled with gas.Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the generator. Fig. 4 is a detailshowing arrangement of spring-lingers for lifting, and Fig. 5 shows amodification of the generator.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A designates the generator,which may be square or of any other shape, constructed of metal or anyother suitable material and resting upon legs. The generator at its topis provided with a central opening havinga suitable closure A', and atornear the bottom and to one side :is also a suitable opening and a doorA2 for closing the same, said door being securely hinged to the casing,a cotterbar and screw A3, together with a suitable catch and packingmeans, being employed for fastening the door in position and effecting agas-tight joint.

Midway the generator and supported u-pon ledges secured to the walls ofthe generator is located an open carbid-basket B, formed Aof somereticulated material 'having a mesh sufficient to allow the passage ofthe hydrate of lime and of a size to hold a suitable charge of carbid.Above this basket, beneath the central opening and within the generator,is located a spray-pipe B2, provided with openings for directing a sprayof water upon the carbid contained within the basket. Ben eath thebasket and resting upon the bottom of thegenerator is located an ash-panB for the reception of the hydrate of lime resulting from thedecomposition of the carbid and water.

The basket B at its ends is provided with hook-ears m for lifting it. Mrepresents a a rock-shaft located within the generator, to

one side thereof, and journaled with packing in the walls of the same,one end of said shaft extending entirely through said generatorcasing tothe outside. To each end of said rock-shaft and within the generator aresecured spring-arms M, arranged so as to engage with the hook-ears nt.To the outer end of the shaft, which extends entirely through thecasing, is secured a long lever M2, the object of which, together' withthe rock-shaft and spring-arms, is to agitate the carbid-basket eitherby hand or automatically by means hereinafter described.

The letter H designates a gas-holder consisting of au open-topped tankhaving located centrally thereina closed high-pressure gas-reservoirK,which,together with the tank, forms an annular chamber or seal for thebell H". As shown, the outer wall of the tank eX- tends to some distanceabove the top of the gas-reservoir, whereby said reservoir may bepractically surrounded by water and protected thereby, at the same timeacting as a wind-break lor the rising-and-falling bell. Said bell may beconstructed to receive suitable wei-ghts, as shown.

D designates a water-tank which is divided into two compartments D D2 bymeans of a suitable transverse partition somewhat lower than the wallsof the tank. To the said transverse partition and Within the compartmentD2 is secured a trip d. Secured to the tank D by any suitable means is awater-supply pipe C, leading downwardly an d connected to the spray-pipeB2. Said pipe C is provided with a check-valve C2, constructed in awellknown manner, so as to allow the water from the tank D' to pass tothe generator and pevent the passage of gas in case the pressure of thegas in the generator exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the water inthe pipe C.

ICO

l3 designates a valve located in the pipe C and is shown closed, wherebythe water in the tank D' is prevented from flooding the generator whenthe carbid has become exhausted and the bell H passed below the normalline.

G' designates the gas-outlet pipe leading from the generator to the pipeG and the burner E. The pipe Gl connects the generator at a'point midwayor below the carbidbasket, whereby the gas in passing from the generatoris caused to pass downwardly through the carbid, and thereby be more orless dehydrated. The pipe G is provided with the usual check-valve g,which allows the gas to pass from the generator to the pipe G', butprevents the return of the gas when the generator is opened forrecharging or cleaning.

G4 represents a purifyingchamber located within the pipe G and filledwith cotton, cloth, sand, or similar material dampened with somenon-volatile hydrocarbon, so as to catch and retain atoms of heavyhydrocarbon in the fresh gas, to which are attributed the tendency toform specks ot' soot in burning and clog up the burner-tip in use.

G2 designates a pipe connecting the pipe G and leading to the interiorof the gas-holder or bell, and it also acts as a tie-rod for securingthe heads of the tank K against internal pressure within the outer tankof the gasholder, as clearly shown. G3 designates-a pipe connecting' thepipe C with the interior of the gas-reservoir K for conducting thehighpressure gas to the said reservoir hereinafter described.

F2 designates an escape-pipe which leads to the external air, a chimney,or other place of safety and is connected to the pipe G3 and providedwith a weighted safety-valve F'.

F designates an internally-weighted valve and is located in a branchpipe connecting the pipes F2 and G2. The object of the safetyvalves F Fis, the first, to relieve excessl ot' pressure in the holder H, and, thesecond, to relieve excess of pressure in the reservoir K.

I designates a turning plug located in the water-supply pipe C andgas-supply pipe G and is used for regulating the supply of water fromthe tank D to the generator andfor regulating the passage of gas fromthe generator to the burner and gas-holder. The valve I is provided withlever-arms I I2, to one end of which the chain t' is attached, theopposite end being weighted by any suitable means in a well-known way,whereby the valve is normally held open.

L designates an upright postwhich may or not be secured to thegas-holder tank. To the upper end of this upright is hinged a lever-armL, carryingintermediate its ends idle-wheels l Z2, over which passes achain t', which is secured at one end to the bell II and at its oppositeend to one end of the lever-arm of the valve I, whereby the rise andfall of the bell automatically controls the valve I and correspondinglyregulates the supply of water to the generator and the passage of thegas therefrom to the burner.

At or near the end of the leverLis secured a chain z2, passing down andconnected to the lever M2. c, is also connected to the lever L and dipsinto the tank D2. A chain i' also connects the lever L and arm I4 of thevalve I3 to limit the downward movement of said arm and at the same timeassure the closure of the valve I3. I p

Operation: In the operation of my apparatus as above described thegenerator having been charged with carbid and the tank D with water, thebell H being in its lowermost position and the valve I turned to openboth pipes C and G, the valve I3 is manually op` erated by the lever It1to permit water to pass to the generator through the valv'e I andspray-pipe B2, whereupon acetylene gas is instantly generated andconducted to the burner E and burned, the excess gas passing to thegas-holder I-I through the pipe G2 and stored therein until said holderis raised sufficiently high to close the valve I, when the supply 'otwater to the generator and the passage of the gas from the generatordirect to the burner through pipe G will be cut oi. The gas for theburner or burners, more or less, as found wanting, will then be takenfrom the holder until said holder descends sutliciently to again opensaid valve I to supply more water to the generating-chamber. Thus itwill be seen that the generation of gas is continuous and automaticallyregulated. The valve I3 is maintained in an open position by the belland only closed when the bell passes to its lowest position, thuspreventing the Iiooding of the generator.

It is a Well-known fact that in this class of gas-generators gas willcontinue to be generated for some time after the water-supply to thegenerator has been cut ott. This is due largely to the hygroscopiccharacter of the carbid and the excess of water admitted to thegenerator in the first instance and retained by the hydrate in contactwith the carbid. In order to make provision for the storage of gas sogenerated, a reservoir K has been provided, to which such gas isconducted through the pipe G2, which gas upon the opening of the valve Ipasses to the burners and holder II.

As shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, the bucket O is in its lowermostposition in the watertank D. Upon the rise of the bell the dome thereofcoming in contact with the lever L raises said lever and with it thebucket C',

-Which latter in rising is caught by the trip d and bail c and emptiedin chamber D', thus supplying said chamber with the necessary water forthe generation of gas. At the same time and through the chain z2 thelever M2 is raised and by it a rocking motion imparted to the rock-shaftM, and the basket containing the carbid is agitated to free the carbid Abucket C', provided with a bail IOS IIO

of any adhering ash, which is precipitated and collected in the pan B',to be removed upon recharging the generating-chamber.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, B'l represents a screen, and M4 aneccentric or cam for agitating the screen by means of suitableconnections with the lever L. derstood that this form of device can bereadily substituted for the basket shown in Fig. l without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent isl. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, in combinationwith the generatingchamber, a carbid-basket located therein andconstructed to receive a vertically-reciprocating motion, a gas-holdercommunicating with the generator lever mechanism and arockshaftintermediate said gas-holder, generator, and carbid-basket andoperated upon by the gas-holder; whereby said rock-shaft is operated toraise and lower said carbid-basket, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for generating acetylcne gas, in combination with thegeneratingchamber a carbid-basket therein constructed to receive avertical reciprocating motion, a rock-shaft located within the generatorand having lingers to engage the carbid-basket, a gas-holder incommunication with the generator and means intermediate the holder andgenerator and connecting the rock-shaft whereby the rise and fall of theholder will raise and lowerthe carbid-basket to agitate the carbidtherein substantially as described.

In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, in combination with thegeneratingchamber having a basket therein forsupporting a body of carbidand constructed to receive a vertical reciprocating motion, alrockshaftlocated within the generator and engaging the carbid-basket, a leverattached to one end of the rock-shaft, agas-holder in communication withthe generator, a frame located over the holder and carrying a chainconnected to said lever whereby the rise and fall of the bell will rockthe shaft to raise and lower the carbid-basket, substantially asdescribed.

It will be un-' 4. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, incombination with the generatingchamberhaving means for supporting a bodyof carbid therein, a pipe for supplying water thereto, a gas-holder, agas-outlet pipeleading from said generator, a cock common to the waterand gas pipes, a connection between the bell of the gas-holder and thecock and an independently-actuated cock I3 normally open in thewater-pipe, whereby the supply of Water to the generator and gas to theholder is automatically regulated and whereby on the descent of the bellbelow normal the valve I3 will be closed and the iiooding of thegenerator prevented substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, in combination agenerating-chamber, a watersupply tank, a pipe for connecting the tankand generator, a gas-holder, pipe connections between the gas-holder andthe generator, a bucket located in the water-tank and means disconnectedfrom and located over said holder whereby on the rise of the bell of thegas-holder said bucket is raised and emptied into said pipe connectingthe generator substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, in combination agenerating-chamber, a water-supply tank, a pipe for connecting the tankand generator, a gas-holder, pipe connections between the gas-holder andthe generator, a bucket located in the water-tank and means located overthe holder and connected to the bucket whereby on the rise of the bellof the gas-holder said bucket is raised and emptied into said pipeleading to the generator substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, in combination agenerating-chamber, a gas-holder, an independent gas-reservoir, pipesconnecting the generator With the holder and the reservoir, waste-escapepipes leading respectively from the holder and the reservoir to theexternal air and separatelyweighted safety-valves located in saidwastepipes substantially as described.

HENRY BRYANT.

In presence of-v GEORGE MoNsoN, ALPHoNso WATSON.

